BLANCHARDVILLE - Pecatonica junior Alexis Hill probably doesn't need to be convinced that patience can pay off.
Hill, who is a natural right-handed hitter, used her patience to change her hitting style and is now battling left handed. Hill's patience also paid off when she lined an RBI single to center to cap the Vikings' 14-4 five-inning win over the Warriors Monday.
"I just hit like I normally would hit," Hill said, with runners on base. "It just turned out good. You just have to see every pitch and hit the good ones."
Hill switched to a left handed batting stance at Pecatonica coach Chuck Meyer's request.
"She has struggled the last couple of years," Meyer said. "We are trying to turn her into a slapper. If you can slap hit, you can play for anybody. I feel that is where softball is going. I know it will be a process. It's good to see her hit one out there."
Hill and the Vikings displayed their collective patience as two Black Hawk pitchers combined to walk 11 and hit five batters. The Vikings (1-5, 1-2 Six Rivers East) scored 15 runs on just three hits. Black Hawk (0-6, 0-4) jumped out to a 3-0 lead after Savanna Kaster's sacrifice fly in the first. The Warriors extended their lead in the second. Tierney Cushman singled and Pecatonica senior Kaci Cassidy walked Riley Argall. Black Hawk's Jordan Rupnow then came through with an RBI single. Jill Engeli then knocked in a run with a groundout to give the Warriors a 3-0 lead.
The Vikings broke the game open when they batted around the order in a seven-run second that came without a hit. Black Hawk junior Kayla Melland walked five of her seven in the second. The Vikings also capitalized on two Warriors' errors. Pecatonica senior Amanda Schoepp scored the game-tying run on a wild pitch. Black Hawk went to senior Kim Wellnitz who got Kaitlyn Linder to pop out to end the inning.
"We are playing about as bad as we can play," Black Hawk coach Roger Jackson said. "We started out hitting the ball today and then we started walking people. They get seven runs with no hits, that's pretty tough."
It wasn't the first time Meyer has seen seven runs scored without a hit.
"We have given them up before. In this game you have to have a pitcher and catcher," Meyer said.
Black Hawk's Ashley Schiferl added an RBI single in the third to cut the Vikings' lead to 7-4.
Pecatonica junior Ellie Gifford singled leading off the fourth. She then stole second. Pecatonica's Michalla Boese reached on what looked like a fielder's choice, but Gifford beat a play at third. She came in to score on a wild pitch by Wellnitz. Wellnitz then walked Michelle Francois and hit Andrea McGowan. Linder was hit by a pitch, which forced in a run, and Katie Moen picked up an RBI on a groundout to give the Vikings a 10-4 lead.
Wellnitz walked two batters and hit two in the fifth. Just when it looked like the Warriors would get out of the fifth, shortstop Melissa Wellnitz dropped a pop up that allowed a run to score.
Jackson felt the Vikings should not have scored five runs in the fifth, he said.
"We just didn't make the plays," Jackson said. "We should have had a couple of girls thrown out at third. Everything is going about as bad as it can go. It all starts with the pitching."
Hill, who is a natural right-handed hitter, used her patience to change her hitting style and is now battling left handed. Hill's patience also paid off when she lined an RBI single to center to cap the Vikings' 14-4 five-inning win over the Warriors Monday.
"I just hit like I normally would hit," Hill said, with runners on base. "It just turned out good. You just have to see every pitch and hit the good ones."
Hill switched to a left handed batting stance at Pecatonica coach Chuck Meyer's request.
"She has struggled the last couple of years," Meyer said. "We are trying to turn her into a slapper. If you can slap hit, you can play for anybody. I feel that is where softball is going. I know it will be a process. It's good to see her hit one out there."
Hill and the Vikings displayed their collective patience as two Black Hawk pitchers combined to walk 11 and hit five batters. The Vikings (1-5, 1-2 Six Rivers East) scored 15 runs on just three hits. Black Hawk (0-6, 0-4) jumped out to a 3-0 lead after Savanna Kaster's sacrifice fly in the first. The Warriors extended their lead in the second. Tierney Cushman singled and Pecatonica senior Kaci Cassidy walked Riley Argall. Black Hawk's Jordan Rupnow then came through with an RBI single. Jill Engeli then knocked in a run with a groundout to give the Warriors a 3-0 lead.
The Vikings broke the game open when they batted around the order in a seven-run second that came without a hit. Black Hawk junior Kayla Melland walked five of her seven in the second. The Vikings also capitalized on two Warriors' errors. Pecatonica senior Amanda Schoepp scored the game-tying run on a wild pitch. Black Hawk went to senior Kim Wellnitz who got Kaitlyn Linder to pop out to end the inning.
"We are playing about as bad as we can play," Black Hawk coach Roger Jackson said. "We started out hitting the ball today and then we started walking people. They get seven runs with no hits, that's pretty tough."
It wasn't the first time Meyer has seen seven runs scored without a hit.
"We have given them up before. In this game you have to have a pitcher and catcher," Meyer said.
Black Hawk's Ashley Schiferl added an RBI single in the third to cut the Vikings' lead to 7-4.
Pecatonica junior Ellie Gifford singled leading off the fourth. She then stole second. Pecatonica's Michalla Boese reached on what looked like a fielder's choice, but Gifford beat a play at third. She came in to score on a wild pitch by Wellnitz. Wellnitz then walked Michelle Francois and hit Andrea McGowan. Linder was hit by a pitch, which forced in a run, and Katie Moen picked up an RBI on a groundout to give the Vikings a 10-4 lead.
Wellnitz walked two batters and hit two in the fifth. Just when it looked like the Warriors would get out of the fifth, shortstop Melissa Wellnitz dropped a pop up that allowed a run to score.
Jackson felt the Vikings should not have scored five runs in the fifth, he said.
"We just didn't make the plays," Jackson said. "We should have had a couple of girls thrown out at third. Everything is going about as bad as it can go. It all starts with the pitching."
